Oleanna: A Play Read Online Free PDF

“Call me in here …” Eh? You say that higher education is a joke. And treat it as such, you
treat
it as such. And
confess
to a taste to play the
Patriarch
in your class. To grant
this
. To deny
that
. To embrace your students.
    JOHN : How can you assert. How can you stand there and …
    CAROL : How can you
deny
it. You did it to me.
Here
. You
did
.… You
confess
. You love the Power. To
deviate
. To
invent
, to transgress … to
transgress
whatever norms have been established for us. And you think it’s charming to “question” in yourself this taste to mock and destroy. But you should question it. Professor. And you pick those things which you feel
advance
you: publication,
tenure
, and the steps to get them you call “harmless rituals.” And you perform those steps. Although you say it is hypocrisy. But to the aspirations of your students.
Of hardworking students
, who come here, who
slave
to come here—you have no idea what it cost me to come to this school—you
mock
us. You call education “hazing,” and from your so-protected, so-elitist seat you hold our confusion as
a joke
, and our hopes and efforts with it. Then you sit there and say “what have I done?” And ask me to understand that
you
have aspirations too. But I tell you. I tell you. That you are vile. And that you are exploitative. And if you possess one ounce of that inner honesty you describe in your book, you can look in yourself and see those things that I see. And you can find revulsion equal to my own. Good day. (
She prepares to leave the room.
)
    JOHN : Wait a second, will you, just one moment. (
Pause
) Nice day today.
    CAROL : What?
    JOHN : You said “Good day.” I think that it is a nice day today.
    CAROL :
Is
it?
    JOHN : Yes, I think it is.
    CAROL : And why is that important?
    JOHN : Because it is the essence of all human communication. I say something conventional, you respond, and the information we exchange is not about the “weather,” but that we both agree to converse. In effect, we agree that we are both human. (
Pause
)

I’m not a … “exploiter,” and you’re not a … “deranged,” what?
Revolutionary
 … that we may, that we may have … positions, and that we may have … desires, which are in
conflict
, but that we’re just human. (
Pause
) That means that sometimes we’re
imperfect.
(
Pause
) Often we’re in conflict … (
Pause
)
Much
of what we do, you’re right, in the name of “principles” is
self-serving
 … much of what we do is
conventional.
(
Pause
) You’re right. (
Pause
) You said you came in the class because you wanted to learn about
education
. I don’t know that I can teach you about education. But I know that I can tell you what I
think
about education, and then
you
decide. And you don’t have to fight with me.
I’m
not the subject. (
Pause
) And where I’m
wrong …
perhapsit’s not your job to “fix” me. I don’t want to fix
you
. I would like to tell you what I
think
, because that
is
my job, conventional as it is, and flawed as I may be. And then, if you can show me some better
form
, then we can proceed from there. But, just like “nice day, isn’t it …?” I don’t think we can proceed until we accept that each of us is human. (
Pause
) And we still can have difficulties. We
will
have them … that’s all right too. (
Pause
) Now:
    CAROL : … wait …
    JOHN : Yes. I want to hear it.
    CAROL : … the …
    JOHN : Yes. Tell me frankly.
    CAROL : … my position …
    JOHN : I want to hear it. In your own words. What you want. And what you feel.
    CAROL : … I …
    JOHN : … yes …
    CAROL : My Group.
    JOHN : Your “Group” …? (
Pause
)
    CAROL : The people I’ve been talking to …
    JOHN : There’s no shame in that. Everybody needs advisers. Everyone needs to expose themselves. To various points of view. It’s not wrong. It’s essential. Good. Good. Now: You and I … (
The phone rings.
)
You and I …
(
He hesitates